Great National Geographic Shows Coming Up!

I just wanted to share these up coming shows with you because they sound like a lot of fun to watch during the holiday break! As always, the National Geographic channel offers fun, educational shows for animal lovers of all ages.

Sunday, December 28 at 8pm ET/PT
Dog Whisperer: Cricket and Hemingway & Rigby
While expecting their first child, pop star Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and “Fall Out Boy” bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz, were concerned how their aggressive, but beloved, English bulldog Hemingway would react when the baby arrived. They hoped a canine companion might help, but when 5-month-old English bulldog Rigby joined the budding family, Hemingway’s dog aggression escalated. As Ashlee’s due date rapidly approaches, Cesar is called in to help the couple create a balanced environment that will be safe for their newborn. Will Cesar have these rock stars and their dogs singing a new tune? Also in this episode, Cesar rehabilitates Cricket, a fun-loving retriever with a bad habit of attacking anything between him and his food.

Monday, December 29, 2008, at 8 PM ET/PT
Dog Whisperer: Tobi & Riley
Cesar is known for his quick results, but his next case took over a month to rehabilitate. The Pinner family’s sheepdog/collie mix, Tobi, lunges, chases and nips house guests. He’s become so aggressive that the family locks him in the garage when they have company. After careful review, Cesar determines that Tobi’s bad behavior requires extra attention and brings him to the Dog Psychology Center for more treatment. Then, meet the Smith family and their St. Bernard, Riley. Weighing in at 140 pounds, Riley would be expected to bound up and down stairs, but Riley has severe phobia of steps. The family has tried everything to lure Riley up the stairs, to no avail. Will Cesar be able to step up to the challenge?

Friday, January 2, 2009, at 8 PM ET/PT
Dog Whisperer: Bacchus and Jody
Problems come in all sizes, and in this episode Cesar takes on a massive Great Dane and a little Lhasa apso. First, meet Hailie and Heath and their Great Dane, Bacchus. Just recently Bacchus developed aggression toward dogs he’s not familiar with. He used to be fine on walks to the dog park, but now he rears up onto his back legs at the sight of another dog. Hailie and Heath hope Cesar will be able to reinstate this once Great Dane. Then, Christine’s Lhasa apso Jody is literally eating her family out of house and home. Jody will chow on anything she can get her paws on, even once swallowing needles from a sewing kit. Christine would like to rid Jody of her enormous appetite, but isn’t sure how to lay the rules out on the table. Can Cesar eliminate Jody’s hunger pangs?

Sunday, January 4 at 8/9pm ET/PT
In The Womb: Dogs
In The Womb: Cats
NGC’s critically acclaimed In The Womb series returns with two new one-hour specials. Using state-of-the-art visual effects and real-time 4-D ultrasound imagery, In The Womb: Dogs chronicles the fetal development of one wolf and three different dog breeds – mastiff, golden retriever and Chihuahua – including some of the first 4-D ultrasound images of a Chihuahua fetus. Then, In The Womb: Cats follows the in utero journeys of a house cat and a lion, showing – for the first time ever on television – 4-D ultrasound images of a lion embryo and a cat embryo running in place and stretching in the womb. Both kittens and puppies take just 63 days to go from embryo to adorable house pet – a transformation nothing short of remarkable. In just about nine weeks’ time, each newborn in effect recreates a micro version of the evolutionary cycle both species have undergone over millennia. Now NGC opens a window into the private world where traces of fearsome lions and wolves are still evident during the embryos’ transformation into cuddly kittens and puppies.
Also, check out this awesome interactive time line of baby animals’ development: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/in-the-womb/all/Overview03#tab-time-line